FAQs

We primarily rescue and rehome within Victoria. On occasion we will assist with rescue interstate, however dogs are generally not rehomed interstate for a number of reasons. 

As part of the application process we need to perform yard checks and interview applicants for suitability, and follow up with ongoing training, reviews and medical treatment in some cases.  Our dogs go on trial for 2-4 weeks after which a dog may be returned to our care for one reason or another, so it is preferable that our dogs are rehomed locally.

Most other States have a local arctic breed rescue organisation – details can be found on our Other Rescue Organisations page.

We primarily rescue and rehome within Victoria. On occasion we will assist with rescue interstate, however dogs are generally not rehomed interstate for a number of reasons. 

As part of the application process we need to perform yard checks and interview applicants for suitability, and follow up with ongoing training, reviews and medical treatment in some cases.  Our dogs go on trial for 2-4 weeks after which a dog may be returned to our care for one reason or another, so it is preferable that our dogs are rehomed locally.

Most other States have a local arctic breed rescue organisation – details can be found on our Other Rescue Organisations page.

We are a small team of volunteers passionate about companion animal welfare, responsible dog ownership and the breeds we rescue.

Yes we are! We are a registered with the Australia Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). You can find our listing here: www.acnc.gov.au

We also have deductible gift recipient status (DGR) which means all donations over $2 are tax deductible!

• Kenneling
• Dog food
• Vet work
• Equipment such as: beds, bowls, brushes, toys, kennels, crates, leashes, collars, ID tags & harnesses
• Insurances
• Transportation
• Training
• Pound release fees
• Microchip transfers
• Council registration fees
• Website hosting
• Printed material
• Various government paperwork/application fees
• Event participation
• Fundraising & advertising

A Community Foster Care Network (CFCN) coordinates and may provide temporary care for dogs and cats from shelters, pounds or surrenders in people’s homes (private residential premises). A CFCN seeks permanent housing for the dogs or cats in care. Most CFCNs work with a network of foster carers to enable the CFCN to rehabilitate and rehome more animals. A CFCN could be any size from small through to very large and may be operating with a single person or as a complex organisation involving many people. 
A CFCN is not a shelter or a pound. 

We will only adopt within Australia to permanent residents of Australia and Australian citizens over the age of 18 years old.

Read about our process here.

Yes. Your application will provide us with your contact details, and valuable information, which will help us determine which dogs are a good fit for you.

All of our coordinators are volunteers with full time jobs and we receive a large number of applications every day, so please allow up to 2 weeks for a response. If you have not received a response within ths time, please send a follow up enquiry as we may not have received your application. Don’t forget to check your ‘junk’ email folders in case our reply has ended up there.

No- this is your application to express interest in adopting, and you are free to change your mind throughout the process. 

From application to completion of the trial period, most adoptions take around 3-6 weeks.

Our dogs come from pounds, shelters and private surrenders throughout Victoria, and on occasion from interstate. 

Yes! We look at existing applications before listing new dogs, we often find the perfect home already be on file. We can keep your application handy until a suitable dog is available.

Yes, once your application has been processed and the yard check has been successful, you will be able to meet the dog(s) that are suitable for you. Read more about the adoption process.

We thoroughly assess all our dogs to best determine their unique needs. There are a range of reasons why a particular dog may be best suited to a breed experienced home. 

Siberian Huskies and other arctic breeds can be expert escape artists, so we need to make sure your yard will be able to keep them safe. Some dogs require higher fencing than others and this is taken into account during the inspection. 

The adoption fee helps us recover some of the costs involved in preparing the dog for a new home, this includes: de-sexing, vaccination, micro-chipping, treating for fleas and worms as well as any necessary surgery, training, general supplies and kennelling.

The adoption fee is payable upon commencement of the trial period. In the event that the trial does not work out the adoption fee will be refunded.

All adoptions have a minimum trial period of two weeks. During the trial period, if at anytime you are not comfortable to proceed with the adoption, the dog is returned to us. 

We answer all applications- you will receive a phone call or email to advise you that your application was not successful.

You can donate funds, supplies, time or services. Find out more here.

You can donate funds here.

Or directly to our bank account

Macquarie Bank
BSB: 182 512
Acc # 964070734
Arctic Rescue Victoria Incorporated

Alternatively contact us if you’d like to donate straight to one of our service providers.

Your donation will be used only for costs that directly fund our primary purpose of rescue and rehoming. As we don’t have any paid staff or pay any administration fees 100% of donations go toward costs critical to our operation. For a list of the most common operating costs see here.

Yes! All donations over $2 are Tax Deductible. You can view confirmation of our endorsement as a Deductible Gift Recipient with the ATO here here:  www.abr.business.gov.au

Yes, of course! Please contact us and let us know if you have donated for a specific cause. If you’ve donated during one of our fundraising campaigns we’ll automatically apply the donation there.

Yes we’d love that! Please contact us for details of the area of need you would like to donate towards.

Yes! Please contact us and we can provide you with some information about corporate sponsorship.

Have a read all about foster caring here.

If you’re ready to become a live-saving Foster Hero, apply here.

We can provide for all the dogs essential needs whilst in your care. Some Foster Hero’s just can’t stop giving and choose to provide certain items themselves or supplement the supplied items eg providing fresh bones or meat. An exact list of what is provided can be found here.

Your specialist Foster Hero Coordinator will provide 24/7 phone support. They are also available via email and we encourage you to use our 24/7 online support portal (via Facebook) for general advice. 

Yes. Your Foster Hero Coordinator will provide basic training information and resources. If advanced training is required you will be provided with the opportunity for phone consults, an in-home trainer or group obedience classes.

From time to time we also run workshops or seminars for ongoing education. 

It is not possible to give an exact time frame as It can be as short as one week or a few months, and some have taken as long as one year to find a permanent home.

Applicants must fill in an adoption form and are screened for suitability by our experienced coordinators. We will keep you posted on applications received for your foster dog and will organise any potential meet and greet with the applicant family.

Many of our Foster Hero’s adopt a foster dog or two along the way. If you are the best home for the dog then we would be happy for you to adopt your foster dog.  

Owners who need to rehome their dog and are residents of Victoria. Please note you will need to be the legal owner of the dog to apply for our private rehoming services.

No, there is no cost to use our rehoming service.

Your dog does need to be de-sexed, micro-chipped, vaccinated and flea & worm treated, costs may be involved if your dogs vet work is not up to date. We can help with subsided vet work at our partner vets if needed. 

We would love to! We are happy to consult on any issues that are preventing you from being able to care for your dog. This might include:

• Providing advice or recommending a trainer to help with undesirable behaviours
• Organising subsidized vet work for a major surgery
• Providing insights into why/how your dog is escaping and how to stop it
• Recommendations for temporary and emergency care

It can be as quick as a week or as long as a year for a suitable applicant to come along. We cannot guarantee or predict a timeframe. Generally younger and female dogs are adopted quicker, pairs and cross breeds generally take a lot longer. 

We are not a shelter and we rely on a spot being available within our network of foster carers to take a new dog into our care.

Applicants must fill in an adoption form and are screened for suitability by our experienced coordinators. 

Yes, once a suitable application is received a meet between the potential new family and yourselves will be organized. In rare cases of interstate adoption this may not be possible. 

If the dog needs to be returned during the two-week trial period you will need to be prepared to take the dog back unless you have previously arranged otherwise with us. 

The adoption fee helps us recover the costs involved in the rescue and rehoming service we provide. You can see the costs involved in running our organization here.